


Last Stand of the Blood Misfits

by Tabbykat



Category: Dungeons & Dragons (Roleplaying Game), Dungeons & Dragons - All Media Types
Genre: Battle, Destiny, Fate, Fate & Destiny, Fights, Final Battle, Gen, Onwards to Destiny
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-08-30
Updated: 2018-08-30
Packaged: 2019-06-26 21:04:33
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,975
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15671262
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tabbykat/pseuds/Tabbykat
Summary: The Bloody Misfits have one last battle before they retire from adventuring.





	Last Stand of the Blood Misfits

As Elga pushed the last rune on the pillar, the world went dark for an instant and she felt a flash of vertigo. Coming back to herself, she was in a different room, with different companions.  In a glance she took in what seemed to be a store room much smaller than the temple enclave she was just in, and she was surrounded by drow.  Nine of them all told, three warriors and six mages judging by the swords and wands that made swift appearance at her arrival.  A half drow half spider creature –Elga vaguely remembered their drow bard Surina’s tales of similar creatures called driders –stood behind them.

_Oh HELLS!_ She thought to herself.

They had all turned to face her in surprise, weapons in hand, at her appearance. Elga knew she had to act swiftly, so she made the sign of the god whose temple they were in, and spoke what the Bloody Mistfits had gathered to be their passphrase: “All praise to Imrix.”  At the same instant she heard Surina’s voice in her head, courtesy of a message spell.

_Elga! Are you alright?  Where are you?_ Surina asked frantically.

_Chamber, store room?  Below. Nine drow, warriors and mages.  One drider. HELP!_ She sent back swiftly as the tingle of magic faded.

The drow all looked at each other as she spoke aloud before turning back to the barbarian. “Who are you?” one asked suspiciously.  A mage, Elga noted as a wand was raised slowly in her direction.  Elga opened her mouth to reply, thinking swiftly of something to stall them and buy herself some time, when the rest of the Misfits appeared in the room.

Elga grinned evilly at the drow mage. “I’d be more concerned about my friends,” she purred as she drew her great axe and Surina released a thunderwave, pushing most of the drow -and their poor dwarven cleric Humbrol- against the far side of the room, buying the Misfits a bit of space to maneuver. Elga heard the familiar chanting of their half drow paladin Torold casting a spell of confusion as she bellowed her war cry and leapt towards the enemy, her dire tiger Shadow close on her heels. Their job now was to keep the enemy back so the others could cast their spells.  A blessed arrow from their ranger cleric Berriam flew past Elga’s ear, burying itself in the heart of a mage as he tried to cast.  Paying no attention to the crumpling form, she directed Shadow to a second target while she faced down a third.

The small room was soon enveloped in chaos. Humbrol called out for the glory of his god Gond, his hammer spitting lightning as he swung at a warrior.  Elga felt her rage rising within her as she hacked at the mage who had the audacity to stand before her.  Pointing his wand at her and spitting out the command word, thick black tentacles erupted from its end and reached for her.  She slapped them aside before taking the mage’s hand, followed swiftly by his head.  Two down –no three if that charred stinking corpse was Humbrol’s work –and six to go.

Shadow leapt for the mage his mistress had directed him to, fangs bared and claws reaching. The mage sneered at the great cat and cast his spell, the tentacles from his wand finding their mark and dragging the dire tiger to the floor.  Shadow roared in frustration, his cry swiftly turning to a yowl as pain as one of the warriors took the opportunity to stab at him with his rapier.

A flash of brilliant light and the screech of one of the drow warriors heralded the advance of Torold, shield held high and the light of his god Torm sheathing his blade as he swung, disemboweling his opponent in a flash of gore and divine might. Beside him Deitriech waded deeper into the fray, the sorcererous fighter alternating swings of his axe with bolts of arcane energy, catching one mage in the face mid cast and burning it away.  The body twitched in place for a moment before crumpling to the floor. Bargle hung back, the elf wizard keeping watch on his comrades and casting his own spells when opportunity presented itself, taking down the mage that cast on Shadow with a well-aimed firebolt while Surina danced around the last warrior that threatened the great feline, taking swift jabs with her rapier.

Berriam, his first volley taking down the mage Elga first targeted, quickly turned his focus to the drider, whispering a spell as he let his arrow fly. Finding its mark, the arrow splintered on impact with the creature, peppering the drow around it and making them flinch.  The drider hissed and glared at Berriam, rearing up on its hind legs before charging forward.  The beast’s momentum was stalled by a furious Elga, her greataxe Giant’s Bane dripping blood from the mage she had cloven in twain. With a great roar she swung her axe high and around but the drider ducked and scuttled out of her path only to be met with one of Surina’s crossbow bolts to the face, the body of the last warrior bleeding out at her feet.

Glancing around and seeing its last mage ally falling to Torold’s sword, more of Berriam’s arrows peppering its side albeit glancing harmlessly off its carapace, the drider snarled and tried to move forward once more. Seeing it’s death but determined to take out as many of its foes as he could he charged again, not seeing Humbrol coming at him until the dwarf bellowed and swung at the things legs with his hammer, one blow connecting with a sickening crack as the exoskeleton split and the limb buckled causing the drider to lurch off balance for a moment.  Swinging its longswords around in time to deflect the blows of Torold and Deitrich, it leaned forward with a hiss and tried to take a bite out of Elga and was rewarded with a roar of pain and the rich coppery taste of blood in its mouth as it clamped onto her shoulder, fangs sinking deep and pumping virulent poison into her veins.

Shadow, having freed himself from the tentacles the mage cast at him, and seeing his mistress attacked he streaked past her and jumped up the wall. Scrabbling up a few feet before twisting around and leaping onto the drider’s back, his claws sunk deep into the creature’s shoulders as his fangs found the back of its neck and his hind legs began scraping down the creature’s spine, drawing long strips of flesh in an attempt to disembowel it from behind.  The creature gave an earsplitting screech, releasing the tiger’s mistress and rearing again on his hind legs, front legs flailing as it reached behind and grabbed the tiger by the scruff of its neck.  With a mighty heave and twist the drider flipped the great cat off its back and flung him across the room to crash against the far wall and slump bonelessly on the floor.

But such a move did not come without cost. With its abdomen bared Torold stepped forward and plunged his longsword deep into the creature’s carapace, followed swiftly by a volley of arrows from Berriam.  With a scream of rage and anguish for her Shadow, Egla swung her axe as the drider came back down, taking an arm off at the shoulder.  Several bright booming flashes of light lit into its chest and head as Surina, Deitrich and Bargle cast their spells, leaving a smoking hole behind the listing creature as Humbrol shattered another leg.  A look of incredulity passed over the drider’s face before it crumpled to the ground dead.

Elga’s rage receded and a wave of nausea washed over her as she felt the full effects of the drider’s venom. She spared a swift glance for her comrades, noting them all weary and bloodied but still standing. Tossing her healing potion to a surprised Surina she staggered over to the limp form of Shadow Stalker.  Relief rushed to her head and threatened to overwhelm her as she saw the slow rise and fall of Shadow’s ribs.  Her axe clattered to the ground as she dropped heavily beside his head and threaded her fingers deep into his fur, whispering the words to the only spell of healing she knew.  Shadow’s breathing instantly eased and he opened his eyes, blinking blearily up at his mistress but making no other move.  Elga crooned to him softly as the sounds of her friends tending to each other washed over her.

“Elga my dear,” came Berriam's voice as a hand landed on her unwounded shoulder. “We need to see to that nasty bite of yours before we move on.”  She glanced over at the elf ranger and shook her head, fighting back another bout of nausea.  “It’s nothing more than a scratch, see to the others first,” she said.

Torold knelt down on the other side of her, taking in her wan completion and the beads of sweat across her brow, frowning at the stubborn barbarian. “The others are seen to, and while the bite might be minor the poison coursing through you isn’t,” he said as he raised a hand wreathed in holy light.  Elga sighed and leaned into the paladin’s healing touch, letting him purge the venom from her as Berriam finished tending to her Shadow.

“Umm, guys? You might want to take a look at this,” Surina was at the opposite side of the room, peering around the pillar of an archway that lead into a pitch black rough hewn stone tunnel and was the only visible way out. The rest of the party made their way over to the pretty drow bard.

“Oh that’s not ominous in the least,” drawled Barriam sarcastically.

“Is there no other way out? Perhaps back the way we came?” Elga asked.

“Oh you mean _before_ you started touching strange symbols on a pillar in a dark gods temple?”

“Hey I didn’t see anyone else stepping up to try and solve it.”

Surina rolled her eyes as Berriam and Elga continued to bicker good naturedly. “Can we look for another way out?  Hidden doors or portal or something?” she asked Bargle and Humbrol.  The pair nodded and turned to the seemingly blank walls, searching. Torold drew up beside Surina, squinting into the darkness that was hard even for his half elven eyes to penetrate.  “What do you think is down there?” he asked after a few moments.

“Nothing good, but it’s our only way out of here.” Bargle stated as he joined the pair.  “Whatever brought Elga down here was a one way trip, and none of us have the spells or items to get us back.” Humbrol grunted assent.  “Aye, and while I canno’ tell who crafted this room, there be nothing hidden in the walls.”

Elga swung her axe over her shoulder and grinned at her friends. “Well whatever is waiting for us, death or battle, I’m sure it will be glorious!” she said with a bold laugh as she turned and started walking down the tunnel with her dire tiger companion. A firm hand on her elbow pulled her up short as Berriam sighed and slipped past her.  “At least let the ones who can see in the dark go first hmmm?” Elga smirked at his receding back and let Humbrol and Surina pass her.  She whispered the command word to the driftglobe in her pouch, activating it so she could see by the escaping light but keeping it covered to not betray them to other denziens of the tunnel.   Falling in line beside Detriech with Torold and Bargle bringing up the rear, The Bloody Mistfits ventured deeper into the temple complex to meet their fate.

**Author's Note:**

> I only recently got into D&D three years ago, when 5th ed came out. My first D&D character was a human barbarian/ranger named Elga Greyskull, The Serpentbane, and her dire tiger companion Shadow Stalker, AKA Fluffy. My first D&D group called themselves The Bloody Misfits, and when our campaign ended I had fallen in love with Elga so much I volunteered to do a write up of the battle that we played in person as a homage to what we had been a part of for almost two years. 
> 
> We were supposed to come back together and finish this story, the battle and sights beyond the tunnel, but life led us to different places and this was indeed the Last Stand of the Bloody Misfits.


End file.
